Chickpea Patties

We’re opting for much healthier eating. Mostly because pants are now shorts and I can’t walk around in my favorite stretched out sweater and I’m feeling super conscious of the roundness of my curves.

Chickpeas are the great peacemaker of the legume world. They welcome all kinds into their fold. Mix anything with chickpeas and your kitchen will be filled with the sound of Kumbaya.

We’re going to make chickpea patties. Full of healthful things. Starting with tahini and tomatillos. The tomatillos go a long way to keeping the patties from being dried out. Red peppers, jalepenos and red onions for a snap of heat.

We’re going to add a last minute guest to this flavor party – toasted sesame seeds.

The end result – a mellow meal. Meant to be eaten slowly near an open window on a day with a cool breeze.

Each bite is a blend of flavors. The heartiness of chickpeas. A hint of tartness courtesy of the tomatillos. A subtle nuttiness brought by the sesame seeds. Finished with a tiny bit of bite from the peppers and onions.

Eat with a handful of fresh garden greens. Mash an avocado for a dipping potion. You’ve got a meal to fuel your body. Sooth your senses. And keep you nicely in your shorts.

In a large bowl - mash chickpeas with a potato masher until most of the chickpeas are broken down.

In a blender - blend olive oil and tomatillos until smooth - set aside

Add sesame seeds to a skillet heated over medium-high heat. Shake skillet about every 20 seconds until sesame seeds are a golden color and become fragrant. The shaking will keep the seeds from burning. This takes about 3- 5 minutes.

Fold mixture together until everything is well combined and you cannot see the spelt flour.

Using a spoon (large soup spoon works well), scoop out some of mixture and shape gently into a patty and set on cookie tray. The patties won't spread out when baking so you only need a bit of space between them.

Bake in oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the patties look a light golden color.

Eat them warm or cold. Serve with fresh salad greens and a mashed avocado or hummus.

Leftovers may be kept in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container.

Notes

If you have a workhorse of a blender - you can do all the mixing right in your blender. <br> <br> Spelt flour add another layer of nuttiness to the chickpea patties. If you don't have spelt flour in your pantry - and don't want to buy a bag of flour that you may not ever use again - substitute with whole wheat flour. If you want to give the spelt flour a try, I can usually find it with the other flours in my local grocery store.